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COVID-19

LHU limits attendance at sports events

LOCK HAVEN — If you had hopes of going to a Lock Haven University winter sports event soon, you’ll need to find something else to do. Last week, the university announced an updated spectator policy for home athletic events, which will includes men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling matches. The updated policy will began over the weekend, on Saturday, Jan. 29. It is the university’s response to growing concerns related to COVID-19 and the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Until further notice, attendance at all home athletic competitions will be restricted to ...

Thousands in Ottawa protest COVID mandates, many rebuked

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Thousands of protesters gathered in Canada’s capital on Saturday to protest vaccine mandates, masks and lockdowns. Some parked on the grounds of the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, others carried signs and flags with swastikas ...

Arkansas panel OKs agencies enforcing vaccine requirement

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers on Friday cleared the way for state-run health care facilities to require employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine after officials warned that blocking the move would jeopardize more than $700 million in federal funding. The Arkansas Legislative Council effectively approved the request by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs to comply with the federal vaccine requirement. The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month allowed the federal vaccine requirement for ...

Biden admin officially withdraws vaccine rule

The Biden administration has officially withdrawn a rule that would have required workers at big companies to get vaccinated or face regular COVID testing requirements. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed the withdrawal Tuesday. But the agency said it still strongly encourages workers to get vaccinated. In early November, OSHA announced a vaccine-or-test mandate for companies with at least 100 employees. The rule __ which would have impacted more than 80 million U.S. workers __ was originally set to go into effect on Jan. 4. But numerous states and business ...

Pfizer begins testing omicron-matched COVID shots in adults

Pfizer is enrolling healthy adults to test a reformulated COVID-19 vaccine that matches the hugely contagious omicron variant, to see how it compares with the original shots. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday. COVID-19 vaccine-makers have been updating their shots to better match omicron in case global health authorities decide the change is needed. Omicron is more likely than previous variants to cause infection even in people who’ve been vaccinated, but it’s not yet clear that a change to the vaccine recipe will be ordered. Among the issues ...

CVIM, PSU to offer free vaccine clinic

UNIVERSITY PARK — If you need a COVID-19 vaccine, Penn State is the place to be on Wednesday. According to a news release, Centre Volunteers in Medicine and Penn State are teaming up to host another free COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Bryce Jordan Center. The clinic will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26. It is open for anyone age 12 or older to receive a first, second or booster dose. All three authorized vaccines will be available. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged and can be made online. According to the release, appointments were ...